Soccer and Waffles
by AerinM
Summary: It's Kendra's sixth birthday, and she and Seth are excited about it. :)


_I held a vote on tumblr and, since Kendra won the vote… here's Kendra's birthday. :) Probably not quite what anyone was expecting, but I'm enjoying writing Kendra and Seth as [little] kids. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"Hey. Hey Kenny. Keeeeennnyyyyyy. Kendra. Kendra Kendra Kendra. _Wake. Up_."

She swatted at something in front of her face and mumbled incoherently.

"Kendra!" A sudden weight hit her stomach. Her eyes opened and she jolted awake, then realized her brother had jumped on top of her and was laying across her midsection.

"Ow, Seth!" she shouted, complaining loudly. "What is your _problem!?_"

"Happy Birthday!" he exclaimed, smiling at her. "Dad made waffles!"

She moved aside the blackout curtains from her window and gazed outside to find a nice autumn day waiting for her. Maybe she'd be able to get some more soccer practice in today.

Wait. The smell of waffles and bacon finally reached her nostrils.

Her stomach grumbled.

_Waffles._

She pushed Seth off of her and jumped out of bed as all traces of sleepiness fled from her presence. Kendra ran out of her room and down the stairs with Seth hot on her heels. Would there be strawberries? Syrup? Whipped cream? Or were they chocolate chip waffles? Banana? _Blueberry?_

"Good morning, sunshine," Dad greeted when she appeared in the kitchen.

"Hi, Dad," she replied, carefully eying the nearby stack of waffles. He'd made scrambled eggs, too!

"Happy Birthday, Kendra!" Mom called, peering around Dad's shoulders so she could see her daughter.

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Is breakfast almost done?" Seth asked with eagerness.

"Yep, just finishing the last waffle now," Dad answered. "Your mother is cutting up strawberries."

_Yes! Mom's got strawberries! _

"This is the best breakfast _ever!_" Kendra squealed.

"Well, it's not every day that our daughter turns six," Marla smiled while she and Scott shared amused expressions.

"It's my birthday!" she cried. "Can Alyssa come over!?"

Dad laughed. "Yes, Alyssa can come over," he said. "Actually, a bunch of your friends are coming over later. Remember? For your birthday party?"

"_Yes!_" Kendra shouted, throwing a few fist pumps into the air. "It's my birthday!"

"It's Kenny's birthday!" Seth was also happy to share in the excitement and jumped up and down a few times.

Marla started transporting plates of food over to their dinner table while her children danced with happiness. "Hey, Seth, can you grab the whipped cream from the fridge and put it on the table?" she asked.

"_Whipped cream!?_"

_Could this day get any better!?_

Seth ran over to the refrigerator and pulled out the container of whipped cream, then placed it on top of the table and sat down. Kendra pulled out a chair and joined him, and both kids stared at the food in front of them in anticipation. Marla took a seat and Scott joined them shortly thereafter. They had a quick blessing over their breakfast, and then everyone dug in.

They weren't chocolate chip or banana or blueberry waffles, but there were strawberries to put on top, and syrup, and whipped cream, too! And bacon and eggs on the side!

"Thank you for making breakfast!" Kendra called as she started eating.

"Yeah! Thanks!" Seth agreed.

"You're welcome," Scott and Marla responded in tandem.

Breakfast was a relatively quiet affair at first, but conversation seeped in after a few minutes.

"So, Kendra," Marla began, "Your party is at noon today. After breakfast we need to vacuum and do dishes, and then we can hang up decorations. Does that sound good to you?"

"Yes!" Kendra looked up from her breakfast. Marla bit her lip to keep from laughing – her daughter had a whipped cream mustache.

Scott, however, could _not_ keep from laughing. "Maybe a bath after breakfast first," he said, then gave himself a whipped cream mustache to match his daughter's. Seth followed suit, although he had food all over his shirt as well.

"I think you might be right about a bath," Marla agreed.

"Mommy, you don't have a mustache!" Seth chirped.

"Family mustache!" Kendra giggled.

Marla rolled her eyes and sighed in fake exasperation. "Family _mustache?_ Who ever heard of such a thing?"

Kendra and Seth raised their hands and continued to giggle. "Come on, Mommy! Do it!"

"Yeah, Mom! Do the mustache!"

Marla gave Scott a pointed look, then ran her fork through the whipped cream on her plate and added a mustache to her own face. Kendra and Seth burst into laughter in reaction. Scott and Marla joined in after a few seconds; their children's laughter was contagious.

Breakfast continued to prove to be a messy, albeit happy, affair. Both kids took quick baths afterward and, once they were dressed for the day, Scott took Seth to the supermarket to pick up a birthday cake and grab some other things while Kendra stayed at home with Marla in order to set up for her party that afternoon.

"Wow, Mommy! This looks cool!" Kendra cried in awe when they'd finished putting everything up. It was a soccer-themed birthday party. Streamers hung from the ceiling in swooping arcs, a soccer ball cloth had been placed on top of the table, posters were on the walls, and Marla had planned a few party games or activities so there were supplies for those out as well. "I love this!"

"I'm glad you do," Marla said. She looked at the clock on the wall. "Your friends will start getting here probably in about half an hour or so. I wonder where your father is?"

The sound of the opening garage door rumbled throughout the living room. Kendra beamed. "They're here! They're here!" she shouted, rushing over to the door which led into the garage. She opened it in time for Seth to run into the house and announce, "We have the cake!"

"What's it look like? Seth, what's it look like?"

"It looks awesome! Like a big soccer ball! And Daddy got soccer candles for it!"

"Soccer candles, too!?"

_Best. Day. Ever._

Scott called for help and Marla joined him. They both entered the house shortly thereafter, Marla carrying the cake (which was concealed within a pink bakery box) and Scott followed behind carrying a couple of grocery bags.

"Mint chocolate chip and cookie dough flavors," he said to Marla as they made their way into the kitchen. "I couldn't find that strawberry one she loves so much."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Marla said. "It's still ice cream-"

"There's _ice cream_, too!?" Kendra thought she might explode from excitement.

Marla laughed. "Told you so." She playfully stuck her tongue out at Scott.

"Why do I foresee ten or so sugar high kids in our living room within the next hour or so?" Scott asked.

"Because it's inevitable," she replied. "That's why we have _outdoor games_ to play outside after cake and ice cream."

"You're a genius."

"Thanks. You can also thank Mother Nature for the lovely day today. I thought it was going to rain, so we've caught a break."

* * *

Three and a half hours later found Kendra and Seth passed out on the couch and the house otherwise devoid of visitors, minus Grandma and Grandpa Larsen, who had made it just in time for the party. Marla shook her head fondly at her sugar coma-ed kids and smiled as she felt Scott wrap his arms around her waist. He placed his chin on top of her head and they both watched their kids sleep for a few minutes.

"We should help your parents clean up," Scott said in a tone which clearly conveyed that he did _not_ want to follow his own suggestion. Hank and Gloria were currently in the back yard.

"Yeah, we probably should," Marla agreed.

Neither of them moved.

Marla sighed.

"Look at them. They're so cute when they're not fighting."

"They're cute _all the time_," Marla chided. "They're just _particularly_ cute when they're not fighting."

Scott chuckled. "Fair enough."

"Kendra was so excited today."

"Seth was maybe even more excited than Kendra was, and it wasn't even _his_ birthday."

They both laughed a little at that.

"Do you think we should move them to their beds?"

Marla shook her head. "Nah. Just let them crash on the couch for a while. Let's just hope the sugar doesn't turn them into cranky munchkins once they get up."

Their light laughter turned into mutual cringing.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Scott began, releasing his hold on his wife and turning so that he could make eye contact with her. "Your parents are in town."

"Yeah? So?"

A mischievous grin crept over his face. "So… what about an impromptu date night? You and me? Leave the sugar high, potentially cranky kids with their grandparents…?"

Marla laughed and lightly slapped her husband's arm. "Oh, you're _evil_," she said. "_I love it_."

"The best part is, Gloria and Hank probably won't mind even a _little bit_. And I'm sure Seth and Kendra would love to spend some more time with their grandparents." Scott's grin widened.

"I'm in. Help me clean up and then I'll ask them if we can sneak out for the evening."

"You got it, babe." They broke apart and each rushed to pick up discarded paper plates, take down the streamers and other decorations, and put away games and unused party supplies. They'd vacuum after the kids woke up from their sugar-induced nap.

This day had turned out to be a win for all of them.

_Best. Day. Ever._


End file.
